Fishplate



Dec. 4, 1928.

J. G. G. COULLIE ET AL FISHPLATE filed July 8, 1927 fTX and" I Patented'Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED. STATES "PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN GABRIEL GEORGES COULLIE ANDJEAN LQUIS QADIS, F BORDEAUX; FRANCE.

rIsnrLArn Application filed July 8,1927, Serial No. 204,380, and in.France July 9, 1926.

Our improved fish plate is adapted provide a vertical movement of the adacent ends of the two rails by the mere action of the wheels runningover the joint.

A form of execution is shown by way of example on accompanying drawings.Fig. 1

is a side view, Fig. 2 a view from above and Fig. 3 a cross section.Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams.

Our fish plate has a substantlally inverted V shape ,(Fig. 6) and is notdeformable. It bears against the lower flange ofv the two rails towardsits outer lower ends A and C (Figs. 1 and 4) and against the top flangetowards the middle of its top edge, the points A and C being inside thepoints and N corresponding to the ties su ortlng the rails on eitherside ofthe joint 1g. 4) When the fish plate is fastened tightly againstthe rails its wedging action causes the oint against which bears theline B 13. to rise. Thls 1S allowed by the fact that the fish platebears against the rail at each point A, B, B 0

over a very small surface. This result may even be increased if theopposite edges of the rail flanges against which the fish plate bearsare slightly sloping as shown diagrammaticallyon an exaggerated scale onFig. 5. y

In practice our fish plate appears preferably as a short ordinarytwo-bolt rectangular fish plate the top corners of which are cut awayand the lower edge is hollowed out in its middle (Fig. 6). f 1

The fish plates F and G of the oint are secured (Figs. 3 and 4) againstthe endsof the rails either by a clamping part surrounding the joint orelse by bolts such as the two bolts shown on accompanying drawings.

Uur improved fish plate prevents the joint from falling as in fact itcauses it to rise at each passage of a wheel. It prevents during thesaid passage the ends of the rails from beating against the fish plateas in the usual fishings where some play always arises after very shorttime. This absence of play in our improved fish plate prevents also therails frcm-being submitted to deformation and shocks caused bv thepassage of a train, as the case with the usual fish plates. 'Our impro dfish plates give by reason of the possible rising of the joints aminimum resistance. to the expansion of the rails under the effect ofheat. Finally, the permanency of the mechanical contact between thedifferent parts ensures a permanent electric contact between them whichallows the usual electric bonds used in'electric railways to bedispensed with.

The two bars F and G which form'the fish-plate are wedged against theflanges of therails when pressed together by the bolts. This. causes, asstated, the joint to rise sl ghtly. hen it is submitted to a load, the ont is lowered with reference to its normal raised position, as the barsare only held through one bolt to each rail and through a small part ofthe small bearing surfaces, they may pivot at this moment with referenceto the rails and as they are rigidly connected together they are wedgedmore tightly against the said rails. Whenthe load has rolled off, thefish-plate though still wedged against the rall flanges bearsagainstthem with less force and allows them to return to their raisedposition.v This modification of the plate together with its angularmovement with reference to the rails affords a very smooth rolling ofthe load and a minimumv wear of the parts occurring only on the bearlngsurfaces. This wear can be easily'compensated by screwing down the'boltstighter without any modification'in the Working. i The expansion of therail is greatly facilitated by the slight unwedging which occurs beforethe arrival of the wheel over the joint. e moving of the rails isprevented to a great extentby the fact that the further rail tightlysecured to the fish plate is no longer subject to shocks from thearrivin wheels.

The only possible remaining shocks ue to the gap between the rails areconsiderably reduced by the cats back provided by our improved fishing.

What we claim is: v

A rail joint comprising two abutting rails, two similar fish-platesconsisting each of an inverted V-shaped vertical member placed on eitherside of the rails, said fish plates having no contact with the web ofthe rails and bearing only on the sloped inner faces of the top we thewedging of 75 other very small surfaces provided at their '8 lower outerends and one bolt only adapted to secure said fish plates to each railand -dis-' posed substantially towards the middle of the sloping lineconnecting the upper bearing surface with the corresponding lowerbearing surface.

In testimony whereof. we have afiixed our signatures.

JEAN GABRIEL GEORGES CQULLlE.

JEAN LOUIS CADlS.

